Gunfire & Paper Hearts
by Whispering Mink
Summary: Ulquiorra lives a reckless life as a hired killer. One day he is bought by a mafia family to work as a young girl's bodyguard; Orihime Inoue. But what happens when the otherwise cold killer grows possessive of Orihime who's already engaged to another man?
1. The Wolf And The Lamb

**Gunfire & Paperhearts**

**Chapter 1:**_** The wolf and the lamb **_

_**Summary: **__Ulquiorra lives a reckless life as a hired killer. One day he is bought by a mafia family to work as a young girl's bodyguard; Orihime Inoue. But what happens when the otherwise cold killer grows possessive of Orihime who's already engaged to another man?_

_**Rating: '**__M' for later chapters (Violence and Sexual Themes.)_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Bleach or any of the characters in this fic - they belong to Tite Kubo._

_**Notice: **__English is my second language, so please bear with any grammatical errors ^^ I'm still improving._

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_**A/N: **__I just couldn't let go of this idea ^^' I have wanted to write a gangster-themed Ulquihime story for a while now, but I needed a good plot for it. So here it is ^^ As you guys might know by now, this is a AU fic (Another universe) But I'll try to keep everyone in character none the less x)_

_I'm still not sure how this fic is gonna end, or how long it's gonna be, but if I end up with another fic at 10+ chapters I'm gonna kill myself XD_

_Oh! By the way, this fic is inspired by the song "Cold (But I'm still here)" By Evans Blue._

_Enjoy ^^_

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Ulquiorra had never worked as a bodyguard before… and if it wasn't because the head of one of the most famous and influential mafia families, 'The Porello family', had given him a massive amount of money; it would have stayed like that.

Ulquiorra was one of the most renowned killers for sale; his methods were quick, ruthless and he was a mystery to the police. They knew that he existed, and that he was the cause of more than 20 murders, but even so they never found any DNA or other evidence at the scene of the crimes… _it was as if he was a ghost._

The only people who could get in contact with him were the mafia. They were the ones who hired him, and the ones who dared to contact him when a rivaling family became too much of a bother. He never chose a side; He simply followed the orders given, took the money he was promised, and then disappeared.

That was, until the Porello family contacted him. At first he was skeptical towards the job; to guard things did not come naturally to a man who's fingers were accustomed to the cold steel of a gun… but even so, they persuaded him with the largest sum of money he had ever been offered.

The job was simple; protect the young girl 24 hours a day until she turned 18 – by then, she would be married to another family's heir, and she would no longer be of his concern. It seemed like an easy job; 6 months with a 17 year old girl and hardly any trouble… or, so he thought.

Everything turned upside down when he saw her. It was unavoidable that his trigger hand would long to touch the young girl's flesh, to manipulate and smother, to crave and posses.

Orihime Inoue – the girl who would lead the otherwise cold killer to his death.

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He was lead through the long corridors of the Porello family's main house by one of the many servants, who worked there on a regular basis.

As always, Ulquiorra's posture was cold, confident and indifferent. He was wearing a long dark trench coat, pants in a matching color and a white shirt underneath – the whole outfit was clean, in strong contrast to many killers who didn't bother to wear nice clothing, and it radiated a strong sense of control and style.

Even though the servant tried to hide it as they walked, Ulquiorra could smell his awe mixed with a slight sense of fear. It was not an unfamiliar feeling for him; to be feared with no apparent reason, but none the less he never killed without a direct order… and he was no thrill killer. It was pure business; not a perverse way of having fun.

"W-we will arrive shortly, M-mister Cifer."

Ulquiorra couldn't help but feel a slight sense of disgust by the way the servant struggled to form a full sentence. Fear was an unneeded emotion; fear made man weak, fear made man do illogical things and fear made otherwise rational people forget about their honor to save their already invaluable lives. They were _Trash._

When they finally arrived, and the servant left; much to Ulquiorra's relief, he was lead inside a small room.

He had expected to meet the Porello family's head, the one who had offered him the job in the first place, but what met his eyes was something he hadn't braced himself for.

The room was rather small, the walls painted in a nice beige color, and the drowsy rays from the sun, shun through one of the many open window. It smelled like lavender in there… and even though several pieces of furniture decorated the room; a huge bed, a cupboard, a dressing table and so forth, Ulquiorra's eyes were unwavering from the young girl who sat in the middle.

Because of Ulquiorra's path in life which was soaked by blood and pain, he never regarded himself as someone who could see beauty in simple things. But even so, he was presented with the purest form of beauty in that moment… he was sure of it.

The young girl had beautiful pale skin; much alike marble and it seemed flawless down to the last detail. Her eyes were a deep brown color that seemed to suck the mere breath out of his lounges when she slowly lifted them to look at him, and the long wavy locks of auburn hair that cascaded along her fragile shoulders framed the soft curves of her face in the most perfect way he had ever seen before.

Ulquiorra had never been too fond of women; they were usually dumb, vulgar or greedy. They didn't own a single drop of shame and they had never been anything beautiful to his merciless green eyes.

But she was different.

Even though she hadn't uttered a word yet, he could tell that she was not like the others. She was young, yes, but the way her eyelashes fluttered slightly by surprise when their eyes met and the way a soft smile slowly formed across her thin lips to make him feel welcome, made the cold killer feel something… just a slight sensation of something he couldn't put words on.

"Good morning, Mister Cifer." Her voice was delicate and smooth like silk. "I'm sorry that my father isn't here yet but he said that you could stay here until he returns." Her smile widened further and she tilted her head lightly as if she was trying to study the man before her. "Are you one of my father's new men?"

Ulquiorra didn't know what to say. Not because he was at a complete loss of words, but because there was simple too much! to say.

He quickly cleared his throat and gathered his thoughts. He wouldn't falter by such a simple thing. "That depends." His answer was calm and monotone. "I've not accepted his job yet."

The young girl smiled again; an even wider smile that made the impassive killer shiver lightly. "So you are! Ulquiorra Cifer?" She rose from her seat and slowly, with small delicate steps, approached him. "I'm Orihime Inoue, nice to meet you." She offered her hand in a fluid motion. However, Ulquiorra's eyes were focused on something else.

Even though womanly curves hadn't been his greatest passion in life until that point, he couldn't help but notice how sinful her body was… and at such a young age. She was wearing a white summer dress that stopped by her knees which, too obviously even for Ulquiorra, presented every curve of her body on a silver plate. Her waist was narrow and her arms thin; small and petite… but even so, she had curvy hips and a bust that he figured most women would be envious of. She was a woman… but yet, her eyes still radiated child-like innocence.

Afraid that his eyes had lingered at her for too long, he gently accepted her hand – holding it carefully between his pale fingers as if he feared that his mere touch would end up breaking her. In a gesture most men did when meeting women, but a thing he had never done until that point, he fell to one knee and brought the young girl's hand to his lips.

He didn't notice how she blushed slightly, but simply placed the coldness of his lips towards the soft skin at the back of her hand. He didn't taste her, even though the temptation of slipping his tongue out was overwhelming…

So that was the girl he would be working as a bodyguard for… The mere thought seemed ridiculous to him. He understood that she needed protection, she was seemingly fragile and trusted blindly in others; especially, by the way she had announced her name to him without second guessing his intentions. But to make him! her bodyguard? It was like asking for a wolf to guard a lamb.

"Do you know who I am, woman?" his words were cold and calculating as he stood up again. The way her deep brown eyes fluttered slightly in surprise by his question, did nothing to make his resolve waver. "Do you know who 'Ulquiorra Cifer' is?"

The young girl shook her head lightly so the long locks of auburn hair cascaded along her face. "I only know that you are here to talk with my dad…" She answered. Ulquiorra could feel the honesty in her words. "Is there… something I should know about you?"

He figured that it was best that she stayed ignorant, unless her father chose to tell her about his occupation… "All men have secrets." He stated calmly. "And sometimes they're secrets for a reason."

"Secrets?" The young girl simply smiled – as if she didn't understand the seriousness of his words. "Well, I have secrets too." Ulquiorra held back the urge to blink his eyes in confusion as she continued to speak. "And if you promise to keep it to yourself, I'll share one of them with you."

Ulquiorra sighed softly. He figured that perhaps she was! A child at some points… "Very well," He chose to play along. "If your need to share such things with me are inevitable, I shall not stop you."

As if the young girl had just won a huge argument, she smiled brightly and moved closer to him. He tried to ignore the faint scent of lavender that her body seemed to emit, as it persisted to invade his nostrils, and by the time he felt her small fingers at his arm – the fabric of his coat the only thing that kept them apart, he held back another shiver. She whispered close to his ear; "My favorite dish is… Sweat bean jelly with strawberry marmalade"

She pulled away and covered her face with her hands as if it was embarrassing… Ulquiorra, on the other hand, was the definition of one big question mark. "My father doesn't like my taste in food… he says it's not 'lady-like'" She laughed nervously. "So I'm trying to suppress my urges for such food but to no avail."

Ulquiorra managed to push the confusion aside, though it was hard to not feel puzzled by her sudden revelation. He figured that if her! secrets were linked to an unusual taste in food, she would be taken completely aback if he chose to share some of his own secrets with her.

Not that he had any intentions of doing so but…

Forced out of his own thoughts, he felt the young girl's fingers at his face – soft delicate fingertips that were strangely warm at his cold cheek. He was surprised at how his guard had dropped just like that… as if, it hadn't existed to begin with.

She was dangerous to him… his growing fascination towards her was dangerous; It made him confused, made him lower his guards and it made him crave for more of her. Like another fix you couldn't afford or get enough of.

He felt how she traced the tattooed tear marks that descended from his eye and onto the lowest part of his jaw. Most people reacted strongly to those tattoos, but her reaction was somewhat different; "Why would you choose to be eternally crying?"

He tried to conceal the confusion that slowly formed in his deep green eyes, but to no avail. He figured that it would be best, if he just told her the truth. "It's symbolic." He stated calmly. "Most people get a tear tattooed whenever they kill someone, but because I've killed too many to count even on both hands; I figured that this would be more suiting…"

The young girl didn't stop to trace the teal colored tear lines as worry slowly filled her deep brown eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, those soft pink lips parting and her tongue moving slightly to utter the first words, but the soft click of the door being opened made her silent again and she pulled away from him… as if she felt shame, her beautiful brown eyes lowered to the floor.

He suppressed the need to look over his shoulder at the intruder, so he fixed his eyes at Orihime instead. Ulquiorra noticed how she seemed familiar with the person who stepped inside... especially by the way she smiled softly towards the unknown person.

A deep voice, obviously belonging to a mature man, cut through the silence. "Mister Cifer, I'm glad you could come."

Ulquiorra slowly turned around to face the unknown voice. Even though he had never spoken personally with the Porello family's head before, he could tell from Orihime's expression that it was indeed him… her adoptive father.

The man before him was rather small; no taller than Orihime and with the first signs of grey mixed with the otherwise blonde hair that adorned his head. He was neatly dressed; wearing a black coat and matching pants, and even though he had only spoken one sentence so far, Ulquiorra could already feel the natural sense of authority in his voice.

"I can see that you have already met my daughter." The small man smiled weakly. "I am the Porello family's current head; my name is Aldo – no need for using my last name." He motioned towards the door. "Should we talk business at my private office? – I'll make sure that one of the servants are gonna bring us something to eat."

Ulquiorra, casting one last glance at the young girl who still studied his face with curious brown eyes, accepted the small man's proposal and walked towards the door out. "No need to trouble the servants; let's just talk about what I came here for."

He tried to ignore the feeling of the young girl's eyes as they dug onto his back. Aldo laughed softly. "Oh, we're a little impatient? Well, that's only good – just follow me, I'll show you where the office is."

In fact, Ulquiorra was not impatient… he just wanted to put some distance between himself and the young girl who had sparked a sudden sense of fascination in him. He needed to clear his nose off of the lavender scent that her body emitted, clear his eyes off of the deep brown eyes that still lingered In the back of his head… he needed to remove _her_ from his being.

However, he knew what kind of talk he was gonna have with Aldo when they reached the office and he knew that he would be forced to talk about her again.

Never had a woman been so dangerous to him before… and even so, he couldn't help but love it in some twisted way.

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_**A/N: **__Long live the sudden surge of inspiration! ^^ All reviews are eternally loved – They always brighten up my day ^^ Remember; because of school, updates are gonna be slow. Please bear with it x)_


	2. Precious Thing

**Gunfire & Paper Hearts**

**Chapter 2: **_Precious Thing_

_**A/N: **__Hi again ^^ I'm grateful for the positive response I got from the first chapter – I really enjoyed writing it, and this new idea is intriguing beyond belief x) For some reason, I really enjoy writing AU fics… You're not limited to a predetermined setting and you can mould pretty much everything to your own liking x) And I'm, of course, gonna take full advantage of that xD_

_Enjoy the new chapter if possible ^^_

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Precious things were by definition meant to be protected – Ulquiorra knew that much. But he had never really been in the possession of a 'precious thing' before… How do you protect something which might brake if you try to touch it? Do you lock them inside a cage where no one can ever lay a hand on them? Or would the state of entrapment be worse than the possibility of getting flawed outside of the cage?

Ulquiorra knew that he was not the right man to protect a young girl like Orihime Inoue. She was innocent, alluring and most of all naïve; if a stranger approached her with a kind smile and a gun hidden behind his back, she would happily follow to her own death.

She made every inch of his being irk with the need to shake some sense into her head; a head that was filled to the brim with genuine people and the belief that justice always prevailed. Apparently, she had never experienced the real world outside of her window and the harsh truth that was hidden behind a massive wall that encircled the Porello family's main house.

Had she ever seen the city outside of that wall? Had she ever experienced robbery, rape, murder or all the other horrible things that happened to people in the city on a regular basis?

If it wasn't because she had ignited some unfamiliar sense of fascination in the depths of his chest, he would never have accepted to look after such a painfully oblivious girl.

However, it was not just her looks that had brought forth the fascination inside of him; the way her long auburn hair swayed lightly whenever she would tilt her head, the small sparks of joy that would fill her eyes whenever people came to visit her, or the way she seemed to ignore the fact that several of the male servants watched her with hungry eyes… no, it was not her body that was the trigger of his interest…

_It was her beliefs._

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"I'm so glad you chose to accept my offer," Aldo grinned. "I was convinced that you would decline immediately."

Ulquiorra sighed in a sudden sense of defeat. The money was alluring, yes, and he took pride in always completing a task at hand, but to protect was not a thing that came natural to him. Could he actually do it? "What does the job require from me?" He figured that it would be preferable to know all about his new 'job'. "6 months is a long time, even with the amount of money you are offering me."

"I know I know, but I hoped that you would understand." Aldo smiled in an attempt to apologize. "You see, because we're gonna marry Orihime to the heir of another influential family, she's a frequent target of kidnappings and even attempted assassinations." Even though Aldo tried to hide it with a smile, Ulquiorra noticed the worry in the depths of his grey eyes. A small laugh rolled across his lips. "I guess that not everybody approves of their marriage."

Ulquiorra tried to be unfazed by the revolting piece of information presented to him. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered to feel a slight sense of worry when someone was the target of violence; after all, when did a hired killer feel remorse for his own targets? He would apply to double standards then.

However, it was somehow different with the young girl that had smiled innocently at him and asked why he would choose to be eternally crying. He had killed grown up men, women and even a small child once… but the simple fact that a smiling and innocent girl like her, was being targeted without a valid reason, made his stomach turn in a sudden feeling of disgust.

"I see." His response was short, while his voice and general appearance hid his inner conflict perfectly. "How often do such events take place?"

"It depends." Aldo lowered his eyes to the floor. "Once a week I guess… but since we've kept her inside more often, it has been reduced to once a month. After all, the security in here is better than outside."

Ulquiorra casted a quick glance towards the door that lead out of the room – disbelief filling his deep green eyes. He hadn't seen any guards yet… based on that knowledge; it seemed highly illogical to him that the place was guarded properly.

"So, can I count on you, mister Cifer?" Aldo sounded hopeful.

"You're smothering her way too much, and I'm not the gentle type." Ulquiorra wanted to come clean – present to the worried father just what! Kind of man he wanted to protect his precious daughter. "I'm not gonna be a playmate to her - I won't read bedtime stories if she can't sleep at night, and I won't show compassion. I understand that you need someone to protect her and that I'm probably the most suitable for killing her pursuers, but I can't show any emotional interest in her." He paused. "Are you able to accept that?"

Aldo nodded unsurely at the intimidating man before him. It was funny because… earlier, when he had picked him up in Orihime's room, he had heard them talk casually about secrets and the unusual tattoos that adorned both of his cheeks… he thought that, perhaps he as a man, would treat her like a lady rather than just a object.

"I understand." Aldo lowered his head in defeat. "Emotional attachment is not a part of the job, I just want you to look after her and make sure that she won't get hurt."

They talked for a few more minutes until they reached an agreement, after which Ulquiorra rose from his chair and left the room. As he walked, he couldn't help but think deeper about Aldo's last words. To look after her would be easy enough, but 'to make sure that she wouldn't get hurt' could be problematic. He assumed that Aldo had been talking about physical pain, but if the girl was kept inside of the mansion, a prison in Ulquiorra's eyes, he figured that she wouldn't stay mentally healthy for very long…

Every small bird needs to flap its wings once in a while.

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"Mister Cifer" The young girl smiled innocently at him as she immediately rose from her seat to greet him properly. "Good afternoon." As always, the young girl seemed to emit a warm glow by just standing there with a smile.

Ulquiorra didn't nod or react to her polite greeting – instead, he stated his reason for being there. "I accepted your father's job." He slowly approached her with casual steps – his posture confident and calm. "I will be serving here for the next 6 months."

Orihime's face quickly changed from mild surprise into joy. He didn't understand why a stranger like himself, could sprout such a sense of joy in her brown innocent eyes… But apparently, it did. "That sounds great!" She smiled. "What kind of job did you accept?, 6 months seems like an awful long time."

"I will be keeping a close eye on you from now on, and make sure that no one hurts you" He sighed softly as he secretely hoped that she would understand what he meant. "until your 18th birthday."

"B-but I don't need an escort or a bodyguard." Wonder slowly formed across her expression and she approached him as well. "I'm doing perfectly fine, I can defend myself."

Ulquiorra was somehow pleasantly surprised by those words… even though they were foolish. At least she tried to stand strong. "You can defend yourself?" He repeated, his voice dripping with doubt.

"Y-yes, I know how to kick and everything… And my punch is pretty strong."

Even though she desperately tried to convince him of her strength, he knew that her petite body couldn't deliver a proper blow to a grown up man. "You are fooling yourself, woman." His deep green eyes pierced themselves into her soft brown ones – leaving her vulnerable to the truth. "You would be left helpless if a man at 68.9 inches or more wanted to take you away."

He tried to lock their eyes in place, reveal her weakness completely, but the young girl lowered her eyes to the floor before he had the opportunity to do so. She pouted and mumbled in protest; "I would be able to fight back…"

A deep sigh escaped the otherwise indifferent killer's lips, as he with determined and heavy steps approached the young girl who immediately looked at him with surprise.

He placed his hand firmly at her shoulder, while applying enough pressure to force her down into the chair she had previously been sitting in. He hovered over her in many fateful moments; his green predator-like eyes analyzing her surprised face and his free hand resting at the chair's armrest. His fingers twitched impatiently by the soft touch of skin at her shoulder, but he ignored it. "Then tell me, where were your resistance right now?"

She didn't speak; she simply gazed at him with wondrous eyes. He had a hard time ignoring the way her dress had rode up her knee; revealing just a bit of her thigh and the soft curves she hid there. He was sure that any other man would have taken advantage of such a situation… but he was different.

"You're… kind of close." He noticed the slight blush that quickly adorned her cheeks. He simply shook his head – now was not the time for her to feel embarrassed.

"I need to prove my point to you." He slowly pulled away; respecting her modesty, though he felt it was unnecessary and ill-timed. "You are vulnerable."

"It's not very nice of you… to say such things." Orihime looked at him with a slight sense of defiance in her brown eyes; a thing that, oddly enough, intrigued the cold killer. "I may not be too muscular, or physically strong, but I'm not weak."

Perhaps she was right. Maybe she did hide some strength underneath her fragile looks, but he had no intention of taking any chances – rather point out her weaknesses than ignore them.

"So… if we try to ignore that… where are you gonna stay from now on?"

Ulquiorra was a bit annoyed by the fact that she suddenly changed the topic, but he chose to accept it - If she didn't want to talk about her vulnerability at the moment, he would just have to bring it up later. "Here."

A deep blush formed across Orihime's cheeks by the sudden revelation. "B-but. I-I only have one bed." Her brown eyes flew to the single bed she slept at. It was a big bed, but not enough for two! "A-and I can't share the same b-bed with you, I-I'm engaged you know!"

Ulquiorra sighed deeply by the way she immediately assumed such things of him. "At the main house in a separate room," He closed his deep green eyes in slight annoyance. "Not in your bed."

Relief washed over Orihime's whole body and she laughed apologetically. "Ooooh…" The blush stayed at her cheeks like the painful reminder of her own stupidity. "I-I'm sorry…."

"There's no need to apologize for such a minor thing."

"B-but it must have been annoying to you" she mumbled. "I assume you already have a woman in your life… with your age and everything."

Ulquiorra shook his head softly… he wanted to be patient with her if possible. "Women don't interest me."

"Why is that so? Did something happen?" Orihime blinked her eyes in disbelief.

"Women don't interest me." He repeated a bit more firmly to emphasize his point. "That has nothing to do with my past experiences."

Ulquiorra was 21 and had, of course, been involved with the female gender before… even though it had been short and bothersome. One thing was sure; he had no interest in women anymore… They just made everything complicated, and it honestly wasn't worth it in the long run.

He gazed calmly at Orihime for a couple of seconds; the previous thoughts running through his head. Perhaps that was why he felt so fascinated by her? Women had just been objects to him, but here he was, actually getting emotionally involved with a person of the female gender…

"Mister Cifer?" His thoughts were cut short by Orihime's soft voice. "Is everything alright?"

Ulquiorra held back a deep sigh. There was no reason for him to stay in the room anymore… she was getting too close again. However, just as he was about to leave, the door swung open.

Slowly, Ulquiorra turned towards the 'intruder'… He was not pleased by being interrupted all the time.

"Orihime."

Just by the way he spoke her name, made Ulquiorra's stomach turn in utter disgust. He didn't know who the nicely dressed man was; brown hair, blue eyes and fairly tall, but he knew that he was gonna be trouble… he could feel it.

Orihime stumbled when she tried to stand up; bowing her head deeply in the most degrading greeting Ulquiorra had ever seen before. It didn't suit her. "M-mister Acosta…" Her beautiful face was hidden by her long locks of auburn hair as she kept her head bowed. "I-I didn't know you would visit"

"No one knew." The man, about 30 or so, entered the room – leaving the door behind him open. "I just wanted to see you, is that so bad?"

Orihime shook her head violently as she finally lifted her head again – much to Ulquiorra's relief who was getting extremely annoyed by her submissiveness. "N-no no… I'm sorry…"

The still unknown man, his last name apparently being Acosta, turned his blue eyes towards Ulquiorra. He accepted the silent duel; locking gazes with his new target of interest… however, this time, it was not any good kind of interest.

"Who is this?" The man motioned towards Ulquiorra. "I don't like the fact that he's in here all alone with you. And the fact that the doors were closed…"

Orihime slowly turned her eyes to Ulquiorra; her deep brown eyes digging into his green ones for a couple of seconds before she spoke again; He could have sworn that she looked more vulnerable now, than when he had hovered over her in the chair. "This is mister Cifer" her eyes lowered to the floor. "He's gonna work as my new bodyguard starting today."

"Oh!" the unknown man suddenly smiled; a smile that radiated superiority before anything else. "Then it's a completely different case" The man lifted his hand towards Ulquiorra in an attempt to shake his hand. "My name is Emilio Acosta, but I would prefer if you addressed me as 'Mister Acosta'"

Ulquiorra tried to hide his annoyance as he lowered his eyes to the outstretched hand. He had no intention of greeting anyone with such a sense of arrogance, so instead he simply stood motionless and stared into a distant corner of the room – Neither of his hands leaving the depth of his pockets.

"I-I'm sorry." Orihime immediately apologized once she realized Ulquiorra's sudden defiance. "He's not very talkative" A nervous laugh rolled across her lips. "Do you want some tea? I'm sure you must be very thirsty after your long trip."

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After Ulquiorra left, filled to the brim with annoyance, he went to the small room he had been assigned to for his 6 month stay as Orihime's bodyguard. The room was fairly small; decorated with a single bed, a cupboard, a small table and a window. Examining the room further, he also noticed that the room had its own bathroom with a shower, toilet and a sink… things he hadn't expected to have.

The first thing he did, and a thing he had longed to do most of the day, was to take his shirt off and place the 2 guns he had been carrying at the bed.

Even though he was practically unarmed in that moment, his senses were sharp – nothing would get inside and surprise him. Normally, he didn't let go of his guns even if his life depended on it… but for some reason, they were weighing more than usual... and they were especially heavy when _she_ was around.

Did he feel a… slight sense of guilt by carrying blood coated weapons around her?

Placing himself at the floor, his back against the wall that faced the room next to his', he slowly sharpened his senses and listened to the faint voices coming from the other side.

A deep sigh left his pale lips.

He saw such incident everyday; young girls, getting married to older men, but it had never bothered him so much before… Perhaps it was not Emilio's age that bothered him, or the way he treated her, but the fact that Orihime seemed to accept it. The submissive behavior was simply too much... way! too much.

As a woman, a woman that had shown her own worth by defying Ulquiorra's harsh words concerning her vulnerability, she was supposed to stand up to _trash_ like that and decide her own way of living.

…

Realizing just what kind of thoughts had infiltrated his otherwise rational mind, he quickly tried to regain focus. Perhaps he was just tired and needed some rest…

However, there should pass several hours before the cold killer got any rest. First when the voices died and the _trash_ named Emilio left, he was embraced by darkness and the alluring state of sleep took him in… first when _she_ was alone again, he found peace.

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_**A/N: **__Okay, I managed to get one more chapter done before school started again ^^' *Celebrates* Updates are still gonna be waaaay slower than this,, so please bear with it ^^ And I also want to point out that Ulquiorra doesn't see Orihime as weak, but just tries to provoke her into getting stronger… because that's how I understand his character ^^ He wants her to stand up for herself x)_


	3. Wash the bloody hands

**Gunfire & Paper Hearts**

**Chapter 3: Wash the bloody hands **

_**A/N: **__Homework is killing me, so I'm sorry about the late update ^^' I really want to write, but it's hard to do it when you have at least 20 pages to read every day and one huge assignment every week + I have a regular life with friends and such you know ^^' So sorry about it, and please bear with me._

_I didn't intend to make the whole Orihime x Emilio relationship vague but yes, he is indeed engaged to Orihime. I initially thought of Ichigo in that role, but I somehow want the Ulquihime-goodness to be in focus – not Ichihime ^^'_

_Please, enjoy the new chapter if possible and please bear with me in the future – I'll update my profile and let you guys know, if I'll ever be able to do chapters more regularly._

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Orihime was fast asleep when a dark presence slipped inside of her bedroom. To find 'intruders' in the young girl's bedroom wasn't an unusual occurrence… it happened from time to time and it was hard to avoid; however, this current 'intruder' was different. Instead of a burglar or a kidnapper, a melancholic looking young man watched the sleeping girl with intense green eyes.

Even though it was night, and most of the servants already slept in their underwear or pajamas', Ulquiorra was dressed; wearing his usual black pants and a white shirt on his upper body. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered to wear a shirt for such a short visit, but he figured it would be best as a precaution if she woke up…

No need to create more misunderstandings if it could be avoided.

_Why was he there anyway? Why did he wake from the alluring state of sleep and was struck with the sudden need to see her?_

He watched the young girl sleep for several long moments; the way she mumbled incoherent words, the way her chest rose slowly with her rhythmical breathing, and the way her eyelashes fluttered slightly as if she was having a dream.

He immediately felt relieved by seeing her in such a state… vulnerable, calm and content. Her vulnerability wasn't exactly a plus, but it made him believe that she wasn't consumed by fear or paranoia when she slept.

He would have left just like that, fed up with the need to look at her and his own weird urges, if it wasn't because she was drooling slightly… a thing that, oddly enough, made Ulquiorra's fingers itch with the need to remove the small trail of salvia.

Lifting his left hand slowly, unsure of his actions; he placed his thumb at her bottom lip and trailed it down to the corner of her mouth. Even though she moved a bit, restless at his touch, she didn't wake up. Tenderly, he removed the drool.

She was beautiful. Even when sleeping she was beautiful. The drool and the mumbling did nothing to change that fact, and the more he looked at her, the more entranced he felt in her presence; just by standing next to her bed, he felt the familiar longing in every inch of his body; a longing he wouldn't succumb to.

Realizing that the soft feeling of her skin, such a simple and yet dangerous thing, had brought such indecent thoughts to his mind, he retracted his hand from her lips; perhaps, a bit too soon? because when his cold yet rough fingertips left the young girl's mouth, and she muttered some incoherent words, her eyelids fluttered and brown eyes woke up to the endless darkness of the bedroom.

However, all she saw was darkness… and while the young girl wondered if she had been visited by a ghost, the cold presence left.

* * *

A deep sigh left Orihime's lips as her deep brown eyes lingered at the window in her room. Outside, it was heavily raining.

"Why today of all days…" She muttered softly, while her deep brown eyes turned to the stoic male who stood motionless in the corner of her bedroom. Sometimes, he was like another piece of furniture in her room; just standing there with hands buried deep in his pockets. He radiated a natural sense of cold and his green eyes, those piercing green eyes, seemed to demand her full attention no matter where he was…

Orihime smiled warmly towards her new bodyguard in an attempt to make him loosen up. "What do you usually do on rainy days, Mister Cifer?"

"The weather doesn't change my plans for a day." The answer was stoic as usual. "And to change ones plans because of a phenomenon like rain doesn't make sense to me"

Orihime's eyes widened slightly. "Really?" She slowly turned her eyes towards the window again – gazing longingly at the small droplets of water as they glided down the window one of by one. Placing her hand carefully at the glass shielding her from the world outside, brushing her fingertips almost lovingly at the cold surface, she forced another small smile upon her lips. "I actually like the rain…" She whispered. "There's something oddly soothing about it."

Ulquiorra simply watched her without commenting on her words. After all, no question had been addressed to him yet.

"The way the water seems to cleanse the earth… the air… the plants… the animals… it brings life to so many things that many people probably take for granted." Realizing that she was rambling, Orihime laughed softly while turning her deep brown eyes back to Ulquiorra. "But I guess that doesn't interest you?"

He was silent – not intending to answer her question, simply because her words actually did interest him, and he had a hard time admitting it.

"I guess not." She shook her head softly; assuming that his silence meant 'no'. "It must be boring to sit in here with me all the time, simply because it's raining outside" she sighed softly. "I hope it stops later today; for your sake as well."

Ulquiorra slowly approached the young with short determined steps while she, unfazed by the fact that the male with piercing green eyes got closer by every second, kept talking;

"But it's been continuing to rain like this since yesterday…" Her voice got lower by every word she spoke – the defeat evident in her voice. "… I guess we won't be able to go outside anytime soon."

Ulquiorra stopped right in front of her; his pale hand outstretched towards her and the tip of his fingers just a few centimeters from her eyes. She stared at him in wonder; silence suddenly befalling her pink lips.

"I'll take you outside."

Orihime was slightly taken aback by his sudden remark. "But it's still raining?"

"Rain can't possibly hurt you." His words were firm and determined as he slowly guided his hand from her face and down to her arm. He paused there. "I'll bring an umbrella" His hand traveled from her upper arm, and down to the soft skin at the back of her hand. She didn't flinch. "And you won't be able to complain about being trapped in here anymore; understood?"

Orihime bit her bottom lip slightly; trying to ignore the need to shiver by the cold ghostlike touch of his fingers. She wanted to go out; but she was unsure of how her step father was gonna react to it. After all, she rarely left the mansion because of all the fuss concerning her marriage with Emilio…

"Are you sure it's gonna be okay?" she mumbled softly. "I'm not sure if my father is gonna like it…"

Ulquiorra watched her intensely for a few seconds; his fingers still lingering at the back of her hand. Her insecurity was slightly irritating. "Your father paid me in order to keep you from harm." He turned around; ready to leave the room. "And I conclude that any young girl could need some fresh air once in a while. An open window won't be enough in your case." She shivered slightly when he completely retracted his hand from her skin; perhaps of loss? He didn't know.

The heavy sound of his footsteps resounded in the room and he lingered in the doorframe for a few second before he left - his last words forcing another wave of chills down her spine. "I'll be waiting for you outside – I won't take 'no' for an answer."

* * *

Her deep brown eyes were wide with anticipation and curiosity; every tall building more wonderful and fascinating than the previous one.

She had no idea that the city was so large. Even though the main house of the Porello family was placed near the city, it had been several years since she had walked around in the normal shopping districts… and with only one escort? Was he really that good?

Orihime slowly lifted her deep brown eyes to look at her supposed bodyguard. He was holding the umbrella over her head in a firm grip; shielding her from the heavy rain that would otherwise soak her. The funny part, however, was the fact that he! For some reason, didn't want to share the umbrella with her – which had resulted in his clothing getting completely soaked during a few seconds exposed to the rain.

It made her feel slightly upset. Did her ignorance and stubbornness really agitate him that much? So much that he wouldn't share the umbrella with her?

"You're gonna get sick…" She mumbled softly; unsure of how she should express her concern for him. If he did! Catch a cold because of her, she would feel terrible. "We can share it you know…"

Ulquiorra, on the other hand, wasn't bothered by the rain at all. Such a simple thing as water, shouldn't force them under the same umbrella if it could be avoided… It would be too close.

"I'm fine." He answered calmly, as the rain made his black hair stick to his pale cheeks, much alike what it would have done in the shower.

The weather was rather unpredictable… just a couple of days ago it had been warm, just like a regular summer day, but now! it was raining heavily and the clear sky had been replaced by dark clouds. Perhaps it was to foreshadow what to come?

"Where do you want to go?" The question must have seemed rather illogical since he had been the one to force her outside in the first place.

"Well…" Orihime mumbled thoughtfully. "All the shops are closed right now… and I don't think they would let us in because of the fact that you're completely soaked anyway… but…"

Ulquiorra gazed at her, as if he wanted to pull the remaining words right out of her throat. "But?" He was patient, yes, but he would prefer if she pushed the formalities aside and said what she wanted to say point-blank… that would make his job so much easier.

"But… I would really like to see… a playground."

"A playground?" Ulquiorra couldn't help but feel a tad confused by her unusual request.

"Y-yes." She smiled at him – almost apologetically. "I know it's raining and all that, but I'm rarely outside, and I can remember visiting a playground when I was younger. I kind of miss it."

Ulquiorra held back a deep sigh. Her wish was rather simple, but none the less illogical. It was raining heavily, and she wanted to go to a playground of all places? She really looked like a woman on the outside, but on the inside she was apparently no more than a child who still missed simple things as swings and slides.

"I'm not sure if there will be anything enjoyable about a playground when it's raining." He quickly stated – hoping that it would make her see the illogical aspect of her request.

"I know – but I just want to look."

* * *

Ulquiorra didn't feel like refusing such a pure and simple request when she persisted to ask for it, so immediately afterwards he brought her to the city's closest playground. It was placed near a kindergarten and because it was raining, no kids were currently using it.

That was, if Orihime Inoue couldn't be called a kid in some contexts.

Before Ulquiorra managed to do anything about it, the young girl ran from underneath the protection shelter of the umbrella and to one of the two swings that adorned the playground.

At first, he wanted to pull her back and keep protecting her from the rain, but he figured it would be useless. If she wanted to be wet, there was nothing he could do about it… and he had no intention of forcing her to stay dry simply because she could end up catching a cold. She could learn from her mistakes.

Orihime who seemed like a child at Christmas, smiled vividly as she quickly removed a good portion of the water at the swing, before she sat down. "Push me!" Her voice was filled to the brim with pure joy.

"You said that you would just look." Ulquiorra approached her while she moved her legs impatiently at the swing.

"I changed my mind." She threw her head back and smiled brightly at him. "Is that so bad?"

Ulquiorra couldn't help but admire her in that moment. Not because she had been 'lying' to him, or because she had been running off and was probably gonna catch a cold from the rain that drenched her body and clothing more and more with every passing second, but because of how beautiful she looked in that moment.

The rain only accentuated her female attributes and even though the sight made longing fill his fingertips; longing to feel, touch and posses, he managed to suppress it. Her long auburn hair was heavy with water and encircled her cheeks and face perfectly, while her pink lips were formed in a soft smile that erased every belief that her reasoning for being at the swing, in the heavy rain, was because of grief or loss.

She was just a young girl… but even so, he admired her more than anyone else. The proud, indifferent and cold killer, Ulquiorra Cifer, was under Orihime Inoue's spell.

With a deep sigh of defeat, Ulquiorra placed himself behind the young girl to push her on the swing. Immediately, she turned her head to look at him, and a smile of appreciation adorned her moist lips. "I'm sorry that I'm such a bother to you."

Ulquiorra shook his head. "If I couldn't handle this much, I shouldn't have taken the job in the first place." And with that, he grabbed the swing, lifted it with no effort what so ever, and gave the young girl a soft push.

It must have been an odd sight for the few cars which drove by. At the playground, just next to the kindergarten, an odd duo consisting of a young girl in a blue long dress, and a melancholic looking man in a dark trench coat, was seemingly 'playing' unaffected in the heavy rain. While the young girl was laughing happily, cutting through the invading sound of rain falling like a knife cutting through butter, the melancholic looking man was silent. And even though onlookers wouldn't know, he felt content by being in the rain with the young girl…

… Only one thing was bothering him; one tiny little detail.

Even in the rain it was shining brightly, the cold substance that was known under the name 'silver' and the small sparkling white stone known as a 'diamond' that adorned Orihime's finger; that small thing that couldn't be denied or accepted by Ulquiorra very easily… the engagement ring.

* * *

Two men residing in a black van close to the playground watched the two persons at the swings intensely.

"That's her." One of the men pointed towards the young girl at the swing. "But who's the escort? – I've never seen him before."

"Does it matter?" The second man quickly replied. "If it's only one, it won't be a problem."

The second man seemed to approve and the harsh sound of a gun loading could be heard in the black vehicle.

"Let's go."

* * *

_**A/N: **__*Phew* I actually finished this chapter in the middle of a psychology lesson ^^' *celebrates* I'm planning on heating up Ulquiorra's continuing connection to his job as a hired killer in the next chapter, so look forward to it ^^ The suspense is getting closer! R&R_


	4. Bloodshed

**Gunfire & Paper Hearts**

**Chapter 4: Bloodshed**

_**A/N: **__Hello again ^^' I'm sorry for the late update, the last year at my current educational place is driving me insane, and my free-time have been at least halved because of the increased amount of work. Also, I've finally felt the brief feeling of being in love ^^ some of you will probably feel bewildered because of this, considering the fact that I usually write! About love, but it's true… ^^'_

_So, my real life is currently pulling me away from the dark spot at my laptop, and away from fan-fiction writing, so please bear with me ^^ Also to those of you who are waiting for an update to 'Undisclosed desires'; I haven't forgotten – It'll be updated once my passion for that particular fic will return x)_

_Enjoy reading ^^_

_**Remember:**__ English is still! Not my first language, so even though I try to be flawless, I probably never will be. Please bear with it x)_

_

* * *

_

It felt like time stood still. The sound of raindrops falling mercilessly to the ground slowly faded, the invading scent of wet concrete disappeared, and it felt like everything simply faded away- at least to Ulquiorra. While Orihime continued to smile cheerfully, still painfully oblivious to the two males who steadily approached them, Ulquiorra immediately felt the familiar feeling spread throughout his body; The feeling of danger.

He knew who the two males were, which family they belonged to, and most certainly why they were there; in the rain, faces lowered and wielding two guns. Ulquiorra couldn't determine exactly what kind of guns they were using, but it was most definitely not in their hands because they wanted to defend themselves… It was never like that in the inner circle of the mafia. If a firearm saw the light of the day and didn't rest in ones pocket, it only meant one thing; Bloodshed.

Ulquiorra wasn't the man to take any chances, so before the two men got too close, he forcefully grabbed the swing Orihime was sitting on, and it made it stop with a strong tug. Orihime almost fell off from the sudden action, and she blinked her eyes in confusion; "W-what? Steady…" She laughed softly while she quickly enforced her grip around the swing. "If you do something like that without warning me I could have fallen…" However, she quickly became silent when she saw Ulquiorra's posture. Even though it was calm and prideful as usual he didn't stand behind her anymore in order to push her – he was shielding her.

"Mister Cifer?" She tried to reach him, her voice soft and questioning, but he didn't even flinch. He just stood there; seemingly motionless, and his hands buried deeply in the depths of his pockets. It made shivers run down her spine when he spoke;

"Quiet, woman." Even though Ulquiorra's voice was monotone and cold, he couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed by the fact that he had been caught off guard. Normally, he would have been more aware of his surroundings, but the young girl's voice and soft laughter had shrouded his mind; making him vulnerable to intruders. He didn't like it… he didn't like it at all.

The two males stopped about 5 meters from them; the long black jackets they were wearing hid most of their physical features, except for their faces. One was rather slim and had blonde hair, while the other was tall and rather buff with a bald head. At first, they simply stared at Orihime, an odd hunger evident in the bald male's eyes that the young girl herself couldn't understand, before their eyes moved to Ulquiorra who stared back at them with a never ending sense of calmness.

All it took was a couple of seconds and a deep laughter cut through the sound of rain falling. "Well well… Is that a ghost appearing before my eyes or am I just getting old?" The question was clearly directed towards Ulquiorra as the bald male's smile widened while his eyes analyzed every inch of Ulquiorra's appearance; his clothing, the way his hands were buried casually in the depths of his pockets, and especially the long green tear streaks that adorned his pale cheeks. "There can't be any doubt about it – no one would look like that voluntarily, unless they had a death wish."

"Zanipolo." Ulquiorra spoke the man's name casually. Zanipolo wasn't that known, and the mafia family he belonged to wasn't that known either. In fact, the only thing they were known for was murderers, some kidnappings, and countless bank robberies. However, since they rarely hid their trails very well, about 60 % of the family was already behind bars.

"You even know my name?" Zanipolo smiled as if he was satisfied by being recognized. "I'm impressed – but I guess it wouldn't be fair to expect less from someone of your caliber, Ulquiorra Cifer"

Ulquiorra allowed his eyes to drift elsewhere as the bald male continued to speak. "It's almost sad to see you like this – in the rain, out in the open where anyone could find you. I thought you wanted to keep your reputation as a ghost?" Zanipolo seemed genuinely surprised by this fact. "Why are you with this girl anyway?" The bald male stepped towards Ulquiorra with a few steps, and even though only 2-3 meters were separating them now, Ulquiorra didn't react. In fact, it seemed like he wasn't even listening. "I thought a man like you, a phantom, _a killer_, wouldn't degrade himself to simple babysitting even if his life depended on it?"

The othe male, the one who had been accompanying Zanipolo didn't speak – he simply followed behind Zanipolo and with his hand secured neatly around his gun. Ulquiorra could clearly tell that the blonde male was a novice when handling a gun; his hands were trembling slightly, and his eyes were wavering unsurely from side to side; paranoid.

"Stefano, get back into the van!" The harsh sound of Zanipolo's voice surprised the smaller male, and he stuttered when trying to form a proper sentence; "B-but the target?"

"I can handle this on my own; now get back into the van before I kick you in there myself."

The blonde male nodded unsurely, sent Ulquiorra and then Orihime a small glance, before walking back to the van he had come from. As he was walking back, Zanipolo smiled satisfied. "Much better, we can be 'alone' now."

Orihime moved restlessly at the swing as she tried to keep calm. The bald male, apparently named Zanipolo, made her feel uncomfortable. The way he was smiling manically, the way his dark eyes were desperately searching for any kind of reaction from the composed Ulquiorra, and the way his hand was tracing the hard steel of his gun. It all made her feel uncomfortable. She believed that Ulquiorra was capable of doing much more than his melancholic and calm appearance suggested, but Zanipolo could be identified as a _maniac_ by just one single glance. All he wanted was blood… Even someone like Orihime could tell that much.

"So, Ulquiorra Cifer, are you up for a small trade?" Zanipolo smiled in anticipation. "All I want is the girl, and I'm sure that our family will let you in as one of their finest killers if you accept… just hand her over without any complaints, and I'll pay you on the spot as well, just name your price."

The rain only got stronger and more violent by the second. Orihime felt the raindrops gliding down her cheeks in soft swift motions and her dress clung to her body as if she had dumped herself into a bathtub. She was freezing slightly… but it was not the cold that forced shivers down her spine. It was Ulquiorra's words.

"She's yours."

Orihime's deep brown eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak, to say something!, but all communication was seemingly futile on her behalf. Had he really been that insensitive from the start? Had he never really cared about her in any way like she had originally thought he did? Was her whole image of him simply a glorification of someone who would forever be lost to blood, power and money?

Her head lowered, and she gazed at her knees, lost and abandoned like a drowned kitten, when Zanipolo laughed and spoke again; "Aaaah, I knew you were smart, you see, the two of us are very alike… We both thirst for power, the rush that being on the edge of life can bring to your otherwise indifferent body. We live to be on the brink of death. To feel! Alive before anything else and I'm sure you'll be able to experience that feeling more frequently in our family, Ulquiorra Cifer."

Zanipolo lowered his gun slightly, stepped from in front of Ulquiorra, and walked past him in order to get to Orihime. With his hand outstretched towards the much smaller girl, he smiled suggestively in her face upon realizing that her clothing was completely soaked from the rain – revealing and emphasizing her womanly curves to perfection. "I never realized that she was such a little treat." His fingers got closer to Orihime's upper arm and she closed her eyes in order to somehow shield herself from the man in front of her, now where she was abandoned by the only man who had the power to protect her. "I guess that's why you were together with her, that makes sense, I'm sure you ravage her every night."

A shot was fired.

Orihime clenched her eyes shut while the loud sound still resounded painfully in her sensitive ears. She expected to feel Zanipolo's disgusting fingers brush against her upper arm but she felt nothing… the only thing she felt was tears that slowly glided down her cheeks mixed with the rain. The harsh reality came crashing down upon her. Someone had fired a shot, and she didn't dare to open her eyes in order to find out who it was.

She desperately tried to calm her breathing, but it only became worse. She gathered every inch of her courage before calling; "U-Ulquiorra?" Her voice came out afraid, bewildered and lost. She didn't know what she was supposed to do if the one answering would be Zanipolo… if the presence she could feel in front of her wasn't the green eyed male who seemed to have abandoned her in return for money and power. Would she be kidnapped? Killed? Raped? In fact, the thing she was most afraid of was the last thought that crossed her mind; to be alone once again.

However, when she felt a hand at her leg just below her knee and another one secured itself neatly around her waist, she didn't even have to open her eyes in order to know who it was. The familiar cold enveloped her whole body, and she clung to the male's broad shoulders – welcoming and breathing the cold as if, it was the only feeling she ever wanted to feel again.

He didn't speak, but that was okay. Instead, Orihime buried her face in the crook of his neck – inhaling his scent softly. She ignored the feeling of steel pressing against her waist, probably because the green eyed male still held his gun, but simply allowed herself to melt into his being.

And while Orihime listened to the sound of a van driving away, and the sound of rain once again became insignificant, she felt safe.

Perhaps it was a good thing that she didn't know the truth; that she didn't know how the green eyed male had pulled his gun in the last second, shot the man formerly known as Zanipolo right in the back of his head, and a dead corpse was now lying, bleeding heavily at the playground.

No, Orihime felt at ease once again.

* * *

Orihime was standing outside of her father's office. She could hear the mumbling sound of her father's voice, and that even though the heavy door and the massive walls isolated most of the sound. She tried to put her ear against the door in order to hear the words more clearly, but it only helped slightly.

A deep sigh escaped her lips and she sunk slowly against the door. She couldn't leave before she knew what kind of punishment Ulquiorra would receive for the incident...

She understood that her father would be upset, but she couldn't help but think of the worst case scenario; Ulquiorra being fired from his job as her bodyguard. He had protected her, he had only brought her outside out of consideration, and she didn't think that it would do any good to punish him for that.

"Do you know what kind of danger you put her in?" Orihime moved her ear close to the door once again, when her father's voice got louder. It was clear to her that he was upset, especially since he rarely showed any sign of anger at all. "She could have been killed – I clearly instructed you into keeping her safe from harm!"

Then silence filled the room for a couple of seconds, and Orihime moved her whole body closer to the door in an effort to listen even better. "You've only been her for a couple of days, and this already happens… I knew I shouldn't have gambled like this when deciding to hire you." His voice was genuinely disappointed, and Orihime felt her heart stopping for a second. "I'll give you one more chance… She's to attend a party this next weekend with her fiancé, and I expect you to be there and keep an eye on her. If you cause any trouble, or encourage her into doing anything that may harm her, our deal is off. Is that understood?"

Several minutes passed, and Orihime quickly removed herself from the door once Ulquiorra walked out from the office again. Her deep brown eyes searched for his' green ones, but he didn't look at her. So in order to get his attention, she carefully grabbed his sleeve and made him stop before he managed to leave.

"Ulquiorra?" She didn't think deeper about the fact that she used his first name all of a sudden, but simply continued to speak in a soft tone. "I'm sorry on my father's behalf… He's simply doing it because he loves me and wants me to be safe…"

She didn't get a response immediately, so instead her deep brown eyes dug into his back. She could still see how his long black coat was drenched from the rain and it made her feel bad… especially since she had already changed into some dry clothing.

"Ul-" She stopped herself from finishing his name upon realizing that one of his hands had left the safe spot in his pocket. He turned towards her, his deep green eyes calm and collected, while the now exposed hand was brought to her wrist. His hand was cold and still slightly wet, but she didn't mind.

"If he loved you more, he would allow you some freedom." Orihime blinked her eyes in confusion and she felt how Ulquiorra drew closer with every breath she took. "Apparently he thinks that these walls are keeping you safe…"

Orihime gazed at him with a strange hint of longing. His voice was low and intoxicating, as if he was telling her, and only! her a secret that could never be shared with anyone else. "He thinks that what you want is safety, but in fact he's just strangling you."

Orihime stepped back once Ulquiorra's grip around her wrist was enforced, and she first stopped when she felt the nearest wall against her back – Ulquiorra's figure instantly following, and looming over her like a shadow endlessly following her around. His lips were dangerously close to her neck and she could feel his breath against the vulnerable area. "Like a bird in a cage."

Orihime placed her free hand at his wet shirt just where his collarbone was. At first, she wanted to push him away, but she ended up simply clutching at the moist fabric… She was at a loss of what to do. His presence wasn't uncomfortable in any way, but it still felt oddly forbidden to have him so close. She could practically feel his abs pressing against her stomach,, and she had to take a deep breath in order not to let out a sudden involuntary moan. He had her in the hollow of his hand.

"These walls are a prison; a prison where I am apparently assigned to being your caretaker." His voice kept being low, and Orihime felt trapped between the wall and the green eyed male's deluding words. "However, I am also here to provide you with safety… And I don't believe that these walls are bringing you anything good _mentally_. In fact, I believe that you would be much happier outside, on your own, where no one could decide your way of living…" She felt his hand travel from her wrist and down to her palm. Her eyes widened slightly when she felt his fingers trace her engagement ring. "…or who to marry."

Orihime finally found the courage and strength to awaken from his deluding words. With her hand still at his collarbone, she applied pressure and made him move away from her. She snapped her head at him; her deep brown eyes slightly defiant; "You are not the one to decide such a thing!" Her breath was slightly heavy, and she stepped backwards when escaping the dangerous space between the wall and him. "I-I…" She tried to form a proper sentence. "Emilio treats me nicely, and he can provide me with food and a safe place to live… he… he's…"

"He can't make you happy."

Orihime blinked her eyes, gazed at the green eyed male's indifferent face for several seconds, before she turned her body in a quick motion and walked away. He didn't follow her, but even so she rushed down the long corridors with the invading feeling of tears in her eyes.

She was not crying because she was frustrated, she was not crying because she was mad at him, _she was crying because he told the truth._

_**A/N: **__I know that some of you would have preferred the mafia members being real Bleach characters, but I probably won't introduce any! Bleach characters to this fic besides from Ulquiorra and Orihime. I simply want to focus on them and their relationship, and too many other important characters would be too complicating for me xD R & R to make me happy ^^_


	5. Dancing Underneath the Skies of Lust

**Gunfire & Paper Hearts**

**Chapter 5: Dancing Underneath the Skies of Lust**

_**A/N: **__This new chapter takes places about 1 week after chapter 4 – at the party which Aldo mentioned to Ulquiorra. This chapter is longer than my normal chapters, so feel blessed xD _

_I'm also terribly in the need of a muse – If I just knew someone who could give me that surge of inspiration every time I were together with them, my life would be complete . (And I would be able to do new chapters more frequently)_

_I guess you can't have everything x)_

_Enjoy the new chapter and the title comes from the song; "Carnival of Rust" by 'Poets of the Fall' ^^_

* * *

The ballroom floor was filled to the brim with men in tuxedos and women in scandalous dresses. Several couples were rocking softly to the soft tune played in the background, while the majority of the men had gathered just across the floor in order to exchange names and bad jokes. The women, on the other hand, were either together with their 'partner' or glaring at each other – comparing curves, dresses and make-up to conclude if anyone was worth being envious of. And in that sense, a particular young woman received more envious eyes than any other female in the whole ballroom.

She was a princess; that's what the males always said when she didn't listen. She was the maiden, a damsel in distress waiting for her savior and before anything else, the untouched flower that every guy in the damn ballroom wanted to put their claw in. Ulquiorra felt sick by their superficial flattering; The way her long auburn hair cascaded along her shoulders like a waterfall, the way her deep brown eyes were filled to the brim with innocent longing and curiosity, the way her pink full lips curved beautifully every time she smiled and the way her soft cheeks made her look sinfully young despite the fact that she was soon becoming a real woman in terms of age.

Ulquiorra knew that their talk was simply meant as flattering; a weak defense-mechanism to make them sound and look better in case the young girl in question was listening.

'Nothing hurts like the truth'. He knew that all they wanted was the lower part of her body; her full breasts, her narrow waist, her soft curvy hips and her slim legs. No matter how presentable they looked in their tuxedos it didn't change the fact that they were wolves in sheep's clothing - Every single one of them.

Ulquiorra diverted his eyes from the crowd of disgusting men, and allowed his eyes to drift onto the young woman who stood next to him – just barely a couple of centimeters from brushing against his shoulder. He could smell her perfume. It resembled a soft and mild scent of a flower Ulquiorra couldn't put a name.

"I didn't expect such a crowd…" She muttered softly.

Ulquiorra's green eyes that probably seemed cold and indifferent to the world were actually soft as he tilted his head slightly, to fully admire her appearance.

She was wearing a long dress with a V cut which stopped just above her knees - revealing the first inches of her smooth thighs. The dress was painted a beautiful white color, pretty simple, and even though the V cut wasn't that deep, her full bosom was terribly emphasized because of the ridiculously small straps that kept the dress at her shoulders.

If it wasn't because of the length, and the very high-quality fabric, Ulquiorra would have thought that the dress was a night gown… it simply showed too much skin at once. And apparently, he wasn't the first one to notice this. They had only been there for a few minutes, and the men in the ballroom were already drooling as if she was a feast worthy of a king.

In that sense, Ulquiorra wasn't as innocent as he claimed to be. She was beautiful, terribly beautiful, and no matter how much he wanted to deny it, _he lusted for her… all of her. _He just thought higher of himself, since he didn't show it openly like the other men in the room. He had more dignity.

Ulquiorra sighed deeply, somehow defeated by his own thoughts, when Orihime called out to him; "Ulquiorra?" her voice managed to calm him somehow.

"Yes?"

"Mister Acosta is here..." He noticed how Orihime's voice dropped and her eyes fell to the floor. The green eyed male wanted to place his fingers at her chin, force her face up so she could look proud and confident, but he knew that it wouldn't help his current situation. He had to behave and accept that perhaps her fiancé preferred her small, delicate and weak…

He hated that man with a passion. Like a burning fire starting in the pit of his stomach before spreading throughout his body with a rapid pace, he hated that man.

"Good evening." Emilio, or 'mister Acosta' as he wanted to be called, nodded at Orihime and afterwards at Ulquiorra. His eyes immediately rested at Orihime; or more precisely her body. "How is the party so far?"

"I-It's good… Ulquiorra has been keeping me company." She stepped forward towards her fiancé, and away from Ulquiorra's side. Even though it probably didn't mean a thing, Ulquiorra felt oddly betrayed by this action. Had she not listened when he had told her that she couldn't find happiness with such a man? That she was simply a bird in a cage to them?

Ulquiorra watched with painfully evident disgust in his eyes, when Emilio took Orihime's hand and bend down to kiss it.

"I'm sure you must have been bored, with all these men being nowhere near your standard." He chuckled at his own comment. "I hope you didn't have the change to dance yet, I've been looking forward to seeing you on the dance floor ever since I heard that you were gonna attend this party."

Orihime shook her head lightly. "I-I didn't dance yet…" She looked away. "… W-we just arrived a few minutes ago."

"Aaah, I see." Emilio seemed pleased by this fact, as he casted a quick glance at Ulquiorra. "And by 'we' I assume you mean you and this man? I honestly thought he would drop out during the first couple of days in your service."

Before Ulquiorra had the opportunity to protest to the untrue statement, Emilio laughed loudly and patted his back like old friends would do. "I'm just joking; I hope you'll stay in her service until the very end."

Orihime smiled by this action, the first genuine smile ever since Emilio had joined them, and Ulquiorra forgot about being annoyed for just a second. He would allow 'Mister Acosta' treating him like some kind of fool, just for a moment, if it meant having her smile like that.

"So, Orihime Inoue, the future 'Orihime Acosta' – May I have this dance?"

It sent chills down Ulquiorra's spine by those words, and he could only watch in a mix of envy and hatred when Emilio once again held Orihime's small hand and lead her to the dance floor.

Ulquiorra had never been very interested in women, but right now it felt like she had been stolen from him. She laughed, she smiled, and she seemed genuine when she was with him; so why did this man, this 'Mister Acosta', have more right to be with her than he did?

Ulquiorra tried to calm down, so he placed himself at the nearest empty table, just a few meters from the dance floor, where he could still watch them behind slightly annoyed green eyes. Jealousy didn't suit him. It made him irrational, it made him do and feel irrational feelings. Oh how he just wanted to look at them with indifference, and tolerance, but he simply couldn't do it.

When Emilio placed his hand at her waist and the other held her hand, he felt hurt. When Emilio bend down to place his head at her shoulder, he felt hatred. And when Emilio made her rock against him softly, in accordance to the music, he just wanted to pull his gun, that gun that was supposed to protect the young woman in question, and shoot her fiancé.

He had always been composed. Always calm and collected no matter what he had to witness; be it blood, torture or women for that matter. But this particular scenario, made his blood boil like never before.

If it wasn't because a woman, around Orihime's height but a bit older and with a terribly slim form approached him, he would probably have kept raging until the dance ended.

"Hello, are you here alone?" Ulquiorra slowly but steadily turned his eyes to the woman in question. He only had to look at her for a few seconds, at her way too small dress that emphasized all the slim parts of her body as if it was something to be proud of, before gazing back at Emilio and Orihime – not even bothering to answer the unneeded question.

Ulquiorra's indifference did nothing to discourage the woman and she simply sat down next to him before talking again; "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but you just seemed kind of lonely – would you care to talk to me for a while? I'm here with my husband, but he's kind of hung up at the moment."

Ulquiorra didn't bother to turn his head to look at the woman again. Instead, he simply stated, hoping that it would make the woman go away; "I'm not here as a guest."

"You're not?" The woman giggled. "Aaaah, I see, so you're one of the 'bad boys'? I heard that some people just can't feel safe when they're out on their own, so they hire people like you, am I right?"

Ulquiorra sighed in annoyance, but the woman just kept talking; "Who are you supposed to look after?" The woman followed Ulquiorra's line of sight to the 'couple' rocking to the music in the center of the dance floor, and smiled brightly upon realizing just who he was 'looking after' "The young Orihime from the Porello family I suppose?" She laughed softly. "I can see you got lucky there – most men would kill Just to kiss her hand, but I guess you get a bigger bite of the pie with your job."

Ulquiorra didn't even listen to the woman's constant talking anymore. He simply gazed at Orihime; analyzed her features as good as he could while trying to suppress his feelings. First when he felt the invading feeling of the woman's hand at his thigh, and she leaned in closer, he snapped his eyes towards her.

"You know… my husband isn't home very often." The heavy scent of the woman's perfume invaded his nose before he could do anything to stop it, and his green eyed narrowed with annoyance. "I often feel… 'Lonely'… and I've got enough money to pay you, if you're interested in 'keeping me company'. It just needs to be between the two of us."

* * *

The music stopped, and Orihime felt terribly relieved when she could finally move away from Emilio's iron grip around her waist. It had been uncomfortable to say the least. Several times, she had been forced to move Emilio's hands up from her waist when they had moved too low, and she had masterfully avoided any kisses except the inevitable kiss at her hand after they finally ended the dance.

She just wanted to get back to Ulquiorra; sit beside him and talk to him the whole night until she could finally get home again. She wouldn't openly admit to him that he was right about Emilio. She didn't feel any attraction to him at all… He wasn't an ugly man, not at all, but she always felt uncomfortable around him. It just… didn't feel right.

Orihime forced a smile upon her lips and curtsied like the respectable young woman she was supposed to be in front of her fiancé.

However, everything seemed to stand still when her eyes returned to her 'protector'. He was not looking at her, but the woman next to him, and even though Orihime was oblivious to most things in life, she knew exactly what the woman's intentions were. With her hand resting at his thigh, her body turned against him, and a sly smile adorning her lips, there could be no doubt about it.

Orihime felt her heart sink.

She couldn't see Ulquiorra's expression, or if he approved of the unknown woman's actions, but even so Orihime felt hurt. So terribly hurt.

"You dance beautifully." Orihime was forced to look away from Ulquiorra and the unknown woman, and instead met Emilio's insisting gaze. "I hope you've been told that before."

Orihime did the only thing she could do in that situation. She tried to laugh it off. "Y-you're too nice." A small nervous chuckle rolled across her lips and she stepped fully away from Emilio and the hand that still rested at her waist. "B-but I think I'm gonna get some fresh air – you should also meet some of the other people here, and then I'll be back in a minute."

She didn't even bother to wait in order to hear his reply, but simply rushed across the dance floor. She needed to leave - To where no one would be able to hear her heart breaking with every beat.

* * *

The woman shrieked when Ulquiorra's hand closed harshly around her wrist, and he removed her hand at his thigh with pure force. "If what you want is a sexual partner, your money won't get you anywhere with me." He felt utterly disgusted by the woman, and didn't try to hide it when he spoke again; "One thing is to buy another person to please your own desires, but let me make one thing clear; I wouldn't even fulfill my own sexual needs if you were the last woman alive, is that understood?"

Ulquiorra, enveloped by utter annoyance and disgust, first managed to turn his head away from the shameless woman, when he saw Orihime move away from the dance floor, with hurried steps.

Suddenly, his top priority wasn't to make the unknown woman regret her actions, and he rose from his seat in a matter of seconds.

The unknown woman was speechless; her mouth left open, and her eyes wide with shock. She didn't manage to utter a single word before the green eyed male left her, and followed the same path as the girl named 'Orihime Inoue' had taken.

* * *

Orihime inhaled the cool evening air. She hyperventilated slightly, and even though she had meant to stay strong, to not be affected by the sight presented to her, tears rolled down her cheeks.

She felt relieved to finally cry. Too much was against her at once; the man she was supposed to love made her feel uncomfortable, the man she… cared for… was flirting with other women, and she felt so utterly alone. If she would lose Ulquiorra, the only man who seemed to genuinely care about her, in his own subtle way, she didn't know what she would do. She just couldn't be alone again… it would be too much.

The door that lead to the balcony was opened, a soft 'click' sounding, and Orihime turned around in order to prevent anyone from seeing her vulnerable state of mind.

"S-sorry, I'll get right back to the party, just give me…" Orihime grew silent when her deep brown eyes met piercing green, and the man responsible for the tears in her eyes, stepped onto the balcony with her.

She tried to remove the tears by desperately rubbing her eyes, but they just multiplied with every second. She was crying. And now she couldn't stop again. She felt weak and pitiful; why couldn't she stop?

"I-I'm sorry that you have to see me like this. It'll stop soon… I'm sure of it." The desperateness was thick in her voice, and despite her promise, the sobs only seemed to intensify by every passing second.

Ulquiorra walked closer to her; calm and composed, despite her misery. But he knew how much she suffered; he could feel it like a tide through his body – a tide that urged him to comfort her... to hold her… _to possess her._

"I-I don't even know why I'm crying." She placed her arms round her stomach. It hurt so terribly to speak; to make up such lies in order to reassure herself. "B-but I'm okay… I just need some time to…"

But she didn't manage to utter another word before he was there with her. His arms around her felt like a barrier against the world, his scent calmed her like no words could have done, and his voice resonated in her mind;

"Relax."

His voice was intoxicating. Like a soft caring whisper from a loved one. It was odd to hear him like that, but Orihime only welcomed it. She welcomed all of him. A bit unsurely, she wrapped her arms around his waist, and her fingers automatically dug into the soft fabric at his back to keep him close, and to make sure that he wouldn't leave. For god's sake he wasn't allowed to leave…

She kept crying; her face buried deeply in his white shirt. Somehow, it felt okay for her to be vulnerable, bewildered and weak if it meant that he would comfort her and ultimately make her stronger. It felt okay to be sad.

When she felt his hand against the back of her head, and his fingers buried themselves into her soft auburn hair, she wondered if he knew why she was crying; if he knew that he was part of the tears that streamed down her face.

"I-I'm sorry…" She sniffed and pulled back even though it meant that the hand in her hair left. "Your shirt is all wet now…" She used her hands to clean her face, though the narrow space she was allowed between his arms and chest wasn't much. "I'm such a cry baby sometimes…"

Orihime smiled weakly when Ulquiorra used his thumb to remove the remnants of tears from her cheeks. She found it odd that he, with those peculiar tear mark tattoos, should be the one to erase her sorrow like that.

"A lot is just… happening at once." She diverted her eyes from that terrible green, and she felt her breath grow heavy again. "A lot of things which are beyond my control..."

She remembered Emilio. The day she met him for the first time, the day she was told that he had said yes to marry her, and the day he had put that awful ring on her finger. It felt like a cage. As if, the small silver engagement ring with the beautiful diamond was nothing more than a chain waiting to strangle her. There were simply too many promises linked to the ring that she didn't want to keep.

Ulquiorra kept silent despite her words. He simply listened behind piercing green eyes while he felt the soft curves at her waist… felt it against his palm and fingertips. He knew that he shouldn't see her confession as her trusting in him, but he couldn't help but feel slightly satisfied anyway.

"You do know… That I'm adopted, right?"

Ulquiorra nodded briefly while he gazed down at her with patience.

"I also had a brother at one point." A nervous chuckle rolled across her lips. "His name was Sora."

Even though Orihime wasn't crying anymore, Ulquiorra could feel that the current subject was taking a toll on her. But he allowed her speak; allowed her to spill her thoughts, mind and _heart_ for him.

"We lived in a small family, and even though we weren't connected to the mafia at all, we were good friends with the Porello family… mainly because my father often bought weapons from them. You could say that it was a genuine friendship we shared." Tears rolled slowly down Orihime's cheeks again, but this time she didn't sob. She just kept speaking in a calm tone; "My father was never at home… so Aldo quickly became a second father to me and because I had Sora with me, everything was okay… I felt happy."

Orihime inhaled deeply, and the calmness in her voice left; "B-but, Sora, h-he didn't come home one night… I-I was up looking for him, but he never came home." She forced a smile on her face, but it was weak and pitiful. No matter how many times she had to mention his name, remember those times, and the incidents that followed, Orihime would never feel comfortable. "The next day the newspapers told that he had been shot; the perpetrators probably thought he was my father who had been borrowing money from the wrong places..."

Ulquiorra's eyes were unchanged though he wasn't familiar with the particular incident she was talking about. Instead, he simply allowed his palms to brush along the young girl's waist and the curvy spot at her back – to soothe her in his own way.

"After that, my father went into hiding… leaving me behind. If it wasn't because Aldo chose to adopt me, I would probably have ended up at a children's home."

She hated herself terribly for sounding so pitiful. She knew that her life had been bumpier than the average girl her age, but she made herself sound like someone who wanted to be pitied… which wasn't the case at all. She just wanted to give the man, that special man that had shown genuine interest in her, some insight into why she was standing on the balcony… during a party… crying her heart out.

She could feel how he continued to brush his palms against her back; slow, soft and unhurried movements that made her sigh femininely. "Aldo is a good man… despite his connection to the mafia… He didn't have to take me in, but even so he did." She lowered her eyes to her feet. "And… he even managed to find me a future husband… someone who can take care of me once he passes away."

Ulquiorra could taste the bitterness in her words, and even though he felt like protesting, he kept silent.

"I knew he just wants the best for me, but I would really have preferred to choose a husband for myself…" She sighed softly. "I've always dreamed of finding 'the one', but I guess life is not that simple."

Ulquiorra opened his mouth, but was interrupted when he felt Orihime move between his arms. He wanted to hold onto her, show her that 'the one' wasn't a thing you could find, but something you defined throughout your life, but he ultimately allowed her to go.

"I'm sorry that I acted like I did." He watched her step away, smiling powerfully at him as if nothing had just happened, before she turned around – leaving him with nothing else to look at than the back of her dress and the smooth curves that defined her body. "I should probably get back… otherwise Mister Acosta will just get worried."

Ulquiorra felt torn in two directions as she moved towards the door that would lead her into the ball room again. On one side, the side that was connected to his current job as her bodyguard, he wanted her to go; back to her fiancé and the man she was supposed to be with. And on the other side, he wanted to snatch her away and never give her back. Claim her, feel her, and make her forget about regulations and unneeded promises that were linked to the engagement ring on her finger.

"Stay."

Orihime stopped by the sudden word, but she didn't even manage to turn around before she felt his body, Ulquiorra's body, draw closer to her from behind.

She tried to tilt her head backwards, to look at him, to find out what he was doing, but was instead left with surprise when his hand reached the door placed in front of her. With a soft 'click' it was locked.

"Ulquiorra?" She breathed his name softly, meant as a question, despite the fact that she never got an answer. His chest moved slightly against her back from his regular breathing, and the cold feeling she had grown accustomed to, the cold that the green eyed male always seemed to emit, enveloped her whole body.

She lost the courage to look back at him. Instead, her deep brown eyes found hold in the locked glass door that would lead her to the ball room. People were dancing now.

She felt the two cold hands from earlier at her waist, and she had a hard time not sighing softly by the mere feeling of his touch. "What is it you want to gain?" She tried to sound defiant, but in fact she just sounded like a longing young woman who had missed his touch but wouldn't admit it to herself. "W-what is it you want from me?"

If he took this too far he would just get in trouble; Orihime knew that much – so why couldn't she fight against it? Why did she find herself wanting more of those delicate and simple touches?

This time, she couldn't hold back a soft almost non existing moan when his body pressed against hers further, and she was forced closer against the glass door. He removed the hair from her shoulders with care, and it sent chills down her spine when lips, dangerously cold lips, were introduced to her nape.

"All of you." he spoke against her skin.

It was simple words; simple words full of promise and dark longing, and Orihime felt like a small mouse being seduced by the big bad cat. She was ready to give in and give up herself to him even though she knew that it was wrong. That he would get in trouble. She would get in trouble. It would result in too many consequences for both of them.

"You know I can't…" She whispered softly. Her resolve was already starting to break with every hungry kiss he placed at her nape. "They'll see it…"

Her eyes were still focused on the dance on the other side of the glass door. The thick dark glass was somewhat hard to see through, but even so it wasn't hard to define silhouettes on the other side – and that was enough for Orihime to feel watched.

"And what if they do see you?"

Such a cruel question... Orihime wanted to answer immediately, but was instead silenced when both of his hands moved against her waist and onto her stomach – her dress creating sinful friction against his palm and onto her skin.

His voice was taunting and against her ear in the next instance; "You're afraid that they'll see you like this?"

Orihime's legs gradually felt weaker and weaker and by the time he kissed the side of her neck, and she could feel his chest firmly pressing against her back, she needed some kind of support.

So, to support herself, she placed her right hand at the door – her palm felt warm and sticky against the cold glass.

Just seconds after she had left herself vulnerable by supporting herself to the door, she felt Ulquiorra's hands ascend. They ascended… ascended… ascended until she could feel his palms, his fingers and his fingertips against her full breasts.

The touch sent chills down her whole spine and she arched her back towards him on impulse; urging, begging and longing for his touch and attention.

"You're not fighting anymore." He taunted close to her ear.

Orihime moaned softly; small feminine longing sounds that she didn't even knew her body could create. She was on fire when his fingertips dug down into her breasts, and by the time he started to knead the 2 lumps, possessively, her mind and body were in the gutters.

Everything became insignificant; even the people who were still partying happily in the ball room became insignificant. It was all about him; his voice in her ear, his hands at her breasts and the hard contours of his body against her back.

"Orihime Inoue." His kneading became harder and more insistent. Orihime's body ached, burned and longed under his touch. It was unbearable. "I will give you an appetizer of what you're missing out on."

Ulquiorra had no intention of doing anything against her will. She had resisted him slightly at first, yes, but he could feel every time she arched her back against him, and with every heavy breath, that despite her words, those foolish words, that she wanted his touch much more than she could probably admit to herself.

He would make her addicted; make sure that his face would wake her at night, that she would feel alone in her bed when she went to sleep and that she would return to him and not the man known as 'Emilio' when it became necessary.

He wouldn't share her… not anymore.

"U-Ulquiorra please…" Her voice had become hoarse, and even though she spoke his name so beautifully and begged him like that, he didn't stop. "If Mister Acosta finds out about this he'll…"

"He'll do what?" Ulquiorra's voice was low and sensual and he felt her shiver and let out a sudden breath when he forced himself closer – so close, that he could feel her bum against his lower body. Even the emotionless Ulquiorra had to let out a low groan to keep being in control. "He's probably not missing you right now… "

Orihime couldn't deny those words. She knew that she was no more than a pretty face to him; they barely spoke about personal things, they never really shared their emotions with each other, and she knew that if her body wasn't so sinfully proportioned, he would never have said yes to marry her. It was the harsh truth she didn't want to face.

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed when suddenly, out of nowhere, the door handle was pressed down, and a silhouette could be seen on the other side of the glass door.

Ulquiorra froze on the spot, and so did Orihime.

"Orihime? Are you out there?"

Orihime stared at the glass door; at the silhouette on the other side, while she felt the green eyed male draw away from her immediately. Like a ghost, his presence disappeared. His rough and cold hands left her breasts, the feeling of his body against hers slowly melted away, and even though he still stood behind her, she felt like something was missing…

As if she wanted to pull him back against her to fill out that unbearable emptiness.

Ulquiorra reached the door and unlocked it with a soft 'click'. She caught a glimpse of his eyes as he did so, but they were indifferent and calm... nothing had changed.

"Orihime, what are you doing out here, you'll catch a cold!" Emilio stepped onto the balcony. "I was looking for you, why did you lock the door?"

The suspicion was evident in his voice, so before Orihime managed to make up a poor excuse, Ulquiorra calmly stated; "She had too much wine – I suggested that she got some fresh air away from the party."

Emilio's eyes turned to Ulquiorra. The earlier suspicion was suddenly gone, and the young man smiled. Ulquiorra felt amused by his ignorance. "Aaaah, I see – I didn't think that you were too fond of wine Orihime?" He turned towards Orihime who was already moving inside – away from Ulquiorra, away from the odd sensation that still made her body ache, and away from the lingering of his touch which still made her head spin.

She was secretly disappointed with herself, and therefore she did everything to avoid Ulquiorra's eyes when she went inside. She couldn't do such a thing… She was engaged… and he wasn't supposed to do such things to her no matter what the reason could have been.

_He was not supposed to make her heart flutter._

When she was fully inside, Emilio followed with slow steady steps.

Ulquiorra, on the other hand, found himself lingering on the balcony. He watched her; watched her with care, with longing, but still with restraints on himself.

As the evening came to an end, the green eyed male wondered if he had taken it too far; if he had been too bold and too consumed in his obsession with her to think clearly.

He quickly concluded that there was no need regretting it… And for god's sake, _he would never regret claiming her._

* * *

_**A/N: **__Okay, this is a huge! Chapter for me, so don't expect this much in the next chapter o.o However, I hope you guys enjoyed reading it, and bear with my slow updates._

_If you feel like pleasing me, leave a review ^^ *Bows*_


	6. Touching the Untouchable

**Gunfire & Paper Hearts**

**Chapter 6: Touching the Untouchable**

_**A/N: **__Hello out there. Okay, it's now official… I'm not dead xD I'm just extremely busy with real-life stuff at the moment. My family is one big mess, I've had several ups and downs in my love life, and the whole thing concerning Christmas and new year's eve has been consuming my time as well ^^' I just wanted to make it clear to all of you, that I haven't stopped writing fan fiction x) Not at all… It's just gonna be less frequently ^^' So please bear with me, and enjoy the new chapter if possible ^^_

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* * *

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Orihime had never felt more awkward in her whole life.

The dim light from the chandelier above the dining table did nothing to make her feel comfortable, and even though the night's dinner was supposed to be enjoyable and fun, she couldn't help but feel restless.

She wore an outfit consisting of a long light blue dress, white stockings, and a normal pair of flat black shoes. The dinner in itself wasn't anything special… just another evening shared with her father and the man she was engaged to. The only thing that was different this time, one tiny little detail, was the fact that a certain green eyed male sat next to her – his presence alone making her feel much more vulnerable, uncertain and awkward than she had ever done before.

She remembered vividly the previous evening. How could she possibly forget? No matter what she did, she remembered it all; every luscious stroke, the feeling of his body pressed against her own, and the terrible sin of the actions she had done nothing to stop.

Disgust was the first feeling that filled her body; she was an engaged woman, to be married in less than 6 months. Couldn't she have more decency? And why couldn't she push her lust aside and tell her bodyguard, the man who worked under her, that his actions were not permitted?

Orihime had a hard time opening her eyes to the truth that hid underneath her skin and clawed at her conscience every time the green eyed male, Ulquiorra, gazed at her. She simply couldn't accept it… the fact that maybe the deep green eyes, those terribly stoic and yet passionate eyes, had entranced her and made her forget about reality and decency. Maybe it was just lust? Maybe it was more? But Orihime couldn't open towards those feelings.

She wouldn't be weak once again… or, that was what she told herself.

"Orihime?"

Orihime blinked her eyes lightly and turned her head towards the voice in question. Emilio smiled at her, with his glass of white wine lifted towards her. "A toast for our future happiness and wealth."

Orihime lifted her own glass, eyes still directed just below the older male's face, and with a weak smile adorning her lips. They toasted, and Orihime finally found the courage to turn her head, and look at the man who sat next to her.

All it took was one glance, and she realized that he was staring at her; deep green piercing her soft brown eyes. She forced a smile upon her lips, to keep her happy façade in place, but he didn't flinch.

How could he be so… unaffected?

It actually annoyed her a bit. They had been more than intimate, or at least he had been towards her, but while she felt awkward and strange around him, he appeared totally unaffected. It was not the least fair that she had to shiver when meeting his eyes, when he could just sit there, and stare at her like nothing had happened in the first place!

"So, Orihime, how was the party?" Orihime held back a soft sigh, and was forced to look away from her 'subject of annoyance' when Aldo's voice resounded in her ears. "I heard that you and mister Acosta got along very well."

"I suppose…" Orihime didn't feel like talking at all. To be honest, she just wanted to go to sleep; to hide underneath her soft linen sheets and allow the darkness to take her away; to a place where there was no Emilio, no Ulquiorra, and no laws that made her involvement with one man more wrong than the other.

Aldo paused the movement of his fork just as he was about to devour another piece of meat. "You suppose?" He laughed softly. "Don't be shy Orihime, I know that you're not too fond of parties, but I heard from mister Acosta that you were out dancing and seemed to be enjoying yourself?"

Orihime glanced towards her fiancé, just to receive an immediate smile from the older man. "And she was wonderful; if you hadn't told me, I would have assumed that she had danced her whole life."

For some reason, Orihime just couldn't feel happy with such a compliment. It felt like she was deceiving both of them… simply because what she remembered from the evening, and what she had found enjoyable, wasn't the dancing or the closeness of her fiancé, but the closeness of another certain male who sat quietly next to her.

It would have been so much easier to come clean with everything, but for some reason Orihime couldn't bring herself to stab the green eyed male in the back. She hoped that her protector would understand that his actions were wrong and unwanted and that she would be able to suppress her own conflicted emotions at the same time.

If not, she would have to talk to him about it, and she could only see such a conversation turning out one way…

"Mister Acosta dances beautifully as well." Orihime mustered her most genuine smile all the while faking her voice into sounding happy and cheerful. "The suit he wore was absolutely beautiful." She laughed softly. "I couldn't help but feel inferior to him the whole night."

Mister Acosta straightened his back by the very direct compliments; his ego getting more than a light boost from the young woman's sudden flattering.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Aldo quickly stated as his eyes darted to the green eyed male whose eyes were directed at his adoptive daughter the whole time. Despite the dangers from the previous 'outing', he couldn't help but feel content with the fact that the party had gone so well. "Did you enjoy yourself as well, mister Cifer?"

"I did." Orihime felt the staring more than ever before, and she couldn't help but look towards her 'protector' when his dark and yet calm voice filled her ears. They were placed about a half meter from each other, and the closeness from his voice made her shiver lightly… it was first now that she noticed how sensual his voice was, and she inwardly damned herself for thinking so all of a sudden. "The party in itself was nothing special, but the interior and location was quite enjoyable."

While Mister Acosta devoured the food on his plate, Aldo's face lightened up by a smile. "The location you say?" he chuckled. "How so?"

Orihime could feel her heart sink when the green eyed male spoke casually and unaffected once again. "The balcony in particular was quite the sight." Deep green eyes finally moved from Orihime, and instead found hold at mister Acosta. "You should have taken your time to enjoy it as well, mister Acosta, I'm sure you would have enjoyed the marvelous sight beyond belief."

Orihime suddenly felt extremely cold and she buried her hands in her lap. She had no idea that Ulquiorra would target her fiancée like that; indirectly insinuating that maybe he should have paid closer attention to what was happening at the balcony than he had originally done.

Ulquiorra was cruel beyond belief. How could he be so casual and unaffected, but yet put up a show like that?

The silence threatened to choke Orihime, and she swallowed hard; so hard that she was afraid that the people around the table would hear it.

However, when the silence was finally broken, it was not in the way Orihime had originally expected. Mister Acosta's characteristic thick laughter filled the dining table, and even Aldo paused his fork just as he was about to swallow another piece of meat.

"I hadn't expected such a thing from you." Mister Acosta waved his fork towards the green eyed male, smiling brightly. "To be interested in architecture, that is, maybe I should have paid closer attention than I did, but Orihime simply stole the spotlight."

Orihime breathed a sigh of relief and her deep brown eyes closed just as Aldo started chitchatting with Mister Acosta about architecture from the 16th century. It was ironic that she had to be saved by her fiancée's naivety; one of the traits she loathed the most about herself. But for how long would she be saved like that? For how long would it stay a secret if Ulquiorra deemed it necessary to give suggestive hints like that from time to time?

She would have to talk to him about it. There was simply no way around it. If she didn't make it clear to him that she couldn't accept his behavior, there would be no guarantee that the same episode wouldn't repeat itself.

Orihime slowly turned her head to the side, to cast a quick glance at Ulquiorra as he casually drank his cup of tea – not the least affected by the other males. Even though she was still slightly upset, she couldn't ignore the fact that her whole being got warmer from seeing him like that.

It was such a simple thing, and yet so delicate and elegant.

His eyes were half-lidded; leaving just a hint of that beautiful deep green color visible, and emphasizing his long lashes in the process. His lips were pressed to the tea cup, and his long slim fingers locked around the porcelain carefully, as if he was handling something very precious. He looked so… gentle. Orihime felt utterly entranced by his appearance; so entranced that she first discovered his eyes directing towards her, once the cup left his lips, and his deep voice rang in her ears;

"What is it?"

Orihime blinked her eyes several times, and shook her head flustered. She had to do it now. She had to get his attention, and let him know how she felt about his behavior at the party. She had! to be strong and fierce.

While imagining all sorts of superhero scenarios where she saved the day and could handle anything, she forced her eyes open, and moved closer to the green eyed male who sat next to her. It took all of her strength to appear calm and collected, as she grabbed his sleeve and pulled at it gently – the whole action hidden beneath the tablecloth.

"I need to talk to you… in private…"

The words left her lips quickly and were just barely audible. However, Orihime was sure that the message had arrived at its destination. Deep emerald eyes softened in a matter of a second, and the male in question stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but Orihime managed to keep up her guards and appear strong.

"Orihime, you haven't eaten your meal."

Orihime's eyes snapped away from the green eyed male, towards the owner of the voice, her adoptive father, and she laughed apologetic.

"I'm sorry father, I'm simply not hungry…" The chair squeaked underneath her, when she rose from her seat. "Is it okay if I go to bed? I don't feel very well."

Orihime didn't like lying at all, but she practically had no other choice in the particular situation. She couldn't handle the tension at the dinner table anymore, and she had to talk to Ulquiorra before her courage would weaken or completely disappear. It had to be now.

"Are you feeling okay?" Aldo rose from his seat as well.

Orihime felt horrible knowing that her adoptive father's worry originated from her lie… but she couldn't back out now.

"It's not that bad, don't worry about me." Orihime laughed, as if to assure her adoptive father that she was okay, before leaving the dinner table with hurried steps. Even when she heard the sound of a second chair squeaking, and she knew who was gonna follow her, she kept her happy facade in place, and she quickly turned towards the still seated Mister Acosta.

"Enjoy the rest of your meal Mister Acosta."

Curtsying quickly towards her fiancée, she left the room.

* * *

Ulquiorra followed Orihime down the long corridors; His eyes never straying from her back. Even though he hadn't been particularly focused on the young woman at the dinner table, at least not when compared to his normal awareness, he had clearly noticed how her behavior had changed. She seemed much more nervous than usual; fumbling with the silverware with every bite, her hands shaking lightly, and her eyes nervously glancing from side to side as if, she was constantly being watched. Had she grown paranoid? Was her paranoia reasonable?

Ulquiorra kept his eyes at Orihime's back most of the time, but even so, managed to analyze his surroundings quickly. If her life had been in danger, he would have noticed it. Her paranoia had to be unfounded.

"Ulquiorra…"

The sound of his name made Ulquiorra stop in his tracks; His eyes once again returning to the soft curve that defined the young woman's back. They were alone in her bedroom, a place where they had been alone several times before. However, this time things felt different. Tension was shrouding the dim room, and Ulquiorra had no trouble in concluding that Orihime had something important to talk to him about. He could practically taste the bitterness in the way her voice had changed.

"The things that happened yesterday…" Orihime's voice stuttered slightly. "… I don't want them to happen again."

Ulquiorra heard a harsh intake of breath, and noted the light shrug from the young girl's shoulders. She was nervous and bewildered. Ulquiorra had never been a good judge of character; in fact, he had never been too interested in other people's emotions before. However, even Ulquiorra, the impassive and indifferent Ulquiorra, had no trouble in concluding Orihime's state of mind… and it didn't please him one bit.

"I… I still want you to be here with me it's just…" Orihime continued. "It's just that you can't do… such a thing again."

Ulquiorra approached the young girl with casual steps. What she asked for was an easy task to complete; Ulquiorra was still able to control the desires that ached in his heart and he would be able to refrain from getting too close to her again, if that was what she wanted. But honestly, he didn't want to put restraints on himself. It would be too easy to simply succumb to the system, and allow desires to be chocked by regulations. He had lived such a life for too long.

Orihime turned around upon hearing the sound of familiar steps, and her deep brown eyes immediately fell upon the green emeralds that constantly made her knees weak.

"You don't want me to touch you? But you still want me close?"

Ulquiorra's question was simple but none the less, held a darker tone than usual.

Orihime moved backwards with every step from the green eyed male; her eyes unfocused and her breath so heavy that it was painfully evident in the silence of the room.

When Ulquiorra didn't receive an answer, he quickened his steps, and took the girl by surprise when she was forced into the cupboard next to her bed; the old wood creaking upon the sudden impact. However, he didn't touch her. He simply held her in place there with his body just centimeters from her. The warmth from her breath against his neck made his skin tingle, but he refused from showing it.

"So, you don't want me to touch you?" He repeated, and even though their bodies weren't touching, he could see her shiver. "Isn't that hypocritical of you; to ask me to stay close, but not touch you?"

He awaited her reply for many fateful moments, but the young girl had lost her ability to speak. Her mouth was locked shut, and her eyes immediately lowered to the floor when he tried to regain eye-contact. He hated it when she didn't look him in the eyes; when all she did was to avoid him and the truth he spoke of.

Ulquiorra tilted his head slightly, while his deep green eyes studied the silent young woman who stood impassively with her back against the cupboard. Did he really have to push her across the line?

"If you want me close like this, it'll be impossible for me not to touch you from time to time." He moved closer; his arms both secluding and trapping the young woman against the cupboard, while allowing him to place his lips just next to her ear. The words left his lips in the form of whispering; "You can't ask for such a thing; Orihime Inoue."

Ulquiorra's goal of provoking a reaction out of the young woman had been successful, and he felt oddly triumphant when Orihime finally spoke; her voice filled to the brim with pure defiance.

"I'm engaged Ulquiorra!" Deep brown eyes snapped upwards to meet terrifying but yet entrancing green, and even though Orihime had insisted that he wasn't allowed to touch her, she broke her own so called 'rule' and Ulquiorra felt small delicate fingers lock against the fabric his shirt consisted of. "Do you know what will happen if any of this is exposed?"

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly, but he kept silent when Orihime continued; "You will be thrown out! Maybe even killed! We can't do this!"

The grip around Ulquiorra's shirt was enforced, and the green eyed male could practically feel nails scrapping against the skin underneath. It was a pleasant feeling despite the young woman's distress. He didn't like it when she was sad or worried, but he couldn't help but be more focused on the sudden power in her voice and her scent that lingered in his nose.

"Now please, put some distance between us in the future, you're only putting yourself in danger with this."

But the green eyed male didn't remove his arms from the cupboard; in fact, he only closed in on the young woman whose eyes were still filled to the brim with defiance.

The quick hint of a smirk adorned Ulquiorra's lips. "Woman, you're underestimating me." His voice was slick. "If the wrath from your family, or your fiancées, would pose any genuine threat towards me, I wouldn't have chosen to work underneath them in the first place." He placed his fingers lightly underneath Orihime's chin. "I would have eliminated them."

Orihime tried to move back, further towards the cupboard, but was instead caught off-guard by the soft sensation of the green eyes male's fingers. She could already see where his actions were going, and she didn't like it one bit.

"That's not relevant Ulquiorra!" She met the killer's gaze directly before continuing. "You may think that you have all the power in the world and that you can just do this without thinking about the consequences but… but…" Orihime tried to find the proper words. "But you just can't."

Orihime finally removed her fingers from the green eyed male's shirt, just a bit reluctantly, and that was when she noticed the minimal amount of space between them. She could feel his pants and the outline of his right leg press against her own bare one; forcing a soft shiver down her spine, while his breath tickled her cheek with every calm intake for air. Oddly enough, his breath was hot; a thing that bewildered the young woman slightly, since everything else about him appeared and felt so incredibly cold.

"N-now please…"

But Orihime didn't manage to utter another word or even finish her own sentence, before 2 strong hands locked around her wrists. Her arms were forced high above her head, and she heard and felt the harsh slamming of her hands against the cupboard behind her. She felt paralyzed, but refused to show fear. After all, _she didn't fear him and never would._

"I can't?" Orihime met his gaze, just to discover that his face was dangerously close to her own once again. His low whispering voice penetrated her ears even though she wanted to refrain from listening, and she allowed a deep breath to escape her lips, when the invading feeling of a knee was added between her legs. "What makes you think that you have the power to dictate my every move, _Hime_?"

Orihime wanted to deny him the pleasure of seeing her succumb to the sound of his voice, and the added intensity of his body against her own, but it became harder and harder with every passing second. She inwardly damned herself. She had never regarded herself, as an indecent woman who would feel lust so easily, but somehow it was different around Ulquiorra…

He was just… different in general.

"I'm not trying to dictate you into doing anything…" Orihime mumbled under her breath; still maintaining her defiance, despite the fact that her body was starting to work against her. "It's just that I don't want to… lose you." Orihime sighed softly upon hearing those precious words slip from her lips. "I don't want to see you thrown out… killed… or something worse. I just want you to stay here with me, while time still is, and this whole… 'Affair', is jeopardizing that."

Silence followed.

"Do you really want to put your job on the line, just to satisfy simple lust?"

The green eyed male's grip around the young woman's wrists was enforced, almost enough to leave bruises, and deep green eyes narrowed dangerously. His frame was still, his breath non-existent and he honestly felt like shaking her.

_She thought it was all about… lust?_

Sorrow filled the otherwise emotionless killer's being; a feeling long forgotten, and highly unwanted. He felt hurt, but not surprised. He knew that many males followed the surge of lust based on physical attraction and nothing more, and because of that, he couldn't fully blame her for putting him in the same category…

But he was different now. He had discovered joy, fascination, and pleasure in much more complex things than simple lust. Needs based on lust alone, were simple and easy to fulfill, but the aching in his heart had been unfulfilled his whole life… that was, until the day he had met her, and discovered the sensation of feeling _complete._

It was not about claiming her body anymore. No, he wanted to claim every single thing about her;

He wanted to dig his nails deeply into her hips, and savor the feeling of her skin. He wanted to press their lips together, and feel her tongue against his own. He wanted to thrust repeatedly into her sinfully proportioned body, until she screamed his name in ecstasy… and while doing so, he wanted to make her come back for more. Every night he would provide her with the pleasures they both craved. The friction they both longed for and needed. But he wouldn't do so because of the sinful curves of her body, because of her deep brown eyes, or because of the fullness of her lips… _He would do it because he loved her with every fiber of his body._

_

* * *

_

_Had he become obsessed?_

_Did he put too much into their relationship?_

_Was she actually right?_

_Did he jeopardize her safety, simply because of his own selfish desires?_

_Desires which were not mutual?_

_

* * *

_

"You're right." Orihime felt the green eyed male's grip around her wrists grow weaker. "It's not worth it."

And then he was gone. Like the always present ghost in her life, he disappeared. The feeling of his body left, the shivers ceased, and she felt _alone _once again.

The ending of the conversation had been to her advantage; she had received what she wanted all along, and Ulquiorra had admitted that the affair wasn't worth it in the long run… so why did she feel like something wasn't right? That something was horribly wrong?

Orihime barely got any sleep that night, and woke up just to realize exactly what was wrong.

Ulquiorra was nowhere to be found.

* * *

**A/N:** Suspense! *The disappearance of Ulquiorra Cifer* XD Leave a review to lighten up my day ^^ *Bows*


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